Lessons Learned
by MajorlyMusical
Summary: A series of shots that focus on Natsu, Lucy, and the friendships they form and the experiences they share with others. NaLu centered for the moment, but expect to see Gray, Levy, Gajeel, and maybe Erza and Juvia making appearances in later chapters. College AU.
1. Lessons in Listening

He did not belong here.

The pink mop of spiky hair on his head was unruly and wild and just plain _silly_. His instrument case was covered in tacky flames that snaked their way across the black lacquer, and the folder that he casually tossed onto the stand in front of his chair was almost completely torn apart, save for a few shreds of bright red duct tape holding it together.

Lucy Heartfilia frowned as she watched the man plop comfortably into the chair next to hers, the spot reserved for the leader of the section. There was absolutely no way he was first chair. She had been expecting someone well-dressed and polished, someone who seemed a bit more deserving of the coveted position he was in. Not someone who looked like they had just rolled out of bed and was trying to pretend his case was a hot rod.

She had been prepared to write this whole semester in orchestra off as a joke; after all, _she_ was the student who always got first chair. _She_ had taken cello lessons for as long as she could remember, and _she _deserved that spot, damn it.

The soft _thunks_ of case latches popping open caught her attention, and what Lucy saw when she glanced over made her breath hitch in surprise.

His cello was absolutely gorgeous.

The wood was a rich, deep red that seemed more akin to fire than the flames decorating his case. Its surface was smooth and shiny, making Lucy painfully aware of the softened edges of her own cello, worn smooth from years of rubbing against her legs. It made her incredibly jealous and she almost hated him for it.

At least, until she heard him play.

He had opened his folder and pulled out a single untitled sheet of music, most likely warm ups and exercises. As soon as his bow began moving across the strings, Lucy was hooked.

The notes and chords that he played were simple but graceful passages, full of emotion that was accentuated by the way he moved his body. He would rock back and forth, creating his own time signature and playing at whatever speed pleased him the most. His swaying reminded Lucy of ocean waves crashing on a beach, the deep billowing tones swirling around them.

"Hey."

She instantly felt like she had intruded upon a very personal moment, because the man's head snapped up to look at her, his eyes wide. After he realized that it had only been the blonde with soft brown eyes sitting next him that had spoken, he grinned widely and let out a short bark of laughter. He brought a hand to the back of his head to rub through his hair as a light blush covered his cheeks.

"Sorry! I didn't realize you were talking to me. What's up?"

Lucy couldn't help but smile at the man's reaction. Had she been wrong about him? "I just wanted to let you know that you're a really fantastic musician. I've only been watching you for a few minutes, but I can tell that you really feel the music when you play. That's pretty admirable, and I look forward to playing with you the rest of the year." Lucy felt a genuine smile cross her face as she settled back in her chair and began getting her music ready for rehearsal.

"Wow, really? Thanks a lot! Most people think it's kinda funny how I always move when I play." She didn't think it had been possible, but the man's smile was even bigger than it had been before. "I've heard some pretty good things about your playing as well, so the feeling's mutual! I'm Natsu, by the way. What's your name?"

"Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia."

Well, she had been right about one thing. He didn't belong here. He belonged in a much better orchestra, one that valued his skills more than some random university would. But having him play with her wouldn't be so bad either.


	2. Lessons in Science

**A/N: Short little lab partner drabble.**

**Hopefully the majors/preferred subjects I chose for Natsu and Lucy make sense. They did in my head.  
**

* * *

"Natsu, I really don't think that's what you're supposed to be doing with the microscope."

"Calm down Lucy, I got this! I know what I'm doing."

Lucy sighed in resignation as she watched the pink-haired man sitting next to her fiddle with the dials and knobs on the very expensive-looking – and university owned – microscope in front of him. Ever since meeting in orchestra the semester before, the two cellists had become fast friends and decided to sync their schedules whenever possible. While English majors and Mechanical Engineering majors didn't share any program-related courses, there were still plenty of general education classes that had to be taken by all students.

What had started as two friends taking classes together to survive the monotony of generic filler courses had actually become a very beneficial arrangement. Lucy helped Natsu in all of the writing and creativity-based classes, where she personally excelled and went above and beyond. Natsu, on the other hand, had a mind that was more science and math oriented, something Lucy had become very grateful for. While both of the students' math skills were nothing to scoff at, it was nice to have someone to bounce answers and questions around with.

"There! I got it! Told you I knew what I was doing."

Natsu's smile was wide and proud as he motioned for Lucy to look through the eyepiece. Their assignment in their Biology lab was to observe a drop of pond water under a microscope and write down what kinds of organisms they saw. Natsu, as the Engineering major, had appointed himself as head of "microscope management", and spent about 10 minutes twisting and turning the various knobs and dials until he could finally get a clear picture.

Lucy wasn't sure what being an Engineering major had to do with using the microscope, but it made him happy so she had simply shrugged and waited.

Whatever she had been expecting to see when she looked through the microscope could not compare to the blobs and spindly little _things_ that were aimlessly floating across her field of vision. There was so much _life_ swimming around in that single little drop. Lucy marveled at all of the little beings wandering through the water before she suddenly snapped back to reality and remembered that they were supposed to be working on a class assignment, one that was due in about thirty minutes. Jerking upright with a small gasp, she grabbed her pen and a notebook, hissing at Natsu to get closer so they could get done on time.

Natsu couldn't help but attempt – and fail – to stifle a loud laugh as he watched Lucy go from calm and curious to flustered and huffy in the span of about three seconds. He'd grown accustomed to these reactions of hers, since she had a flair for the dramatic and seemed to do this pretty often. These moments were both common and comical for him.

The two friends spent the next half an hour bent over the microscope and their papers, quickly scribbling down their answers and discussing everything about the organisms – Natsu liked calling them "floaties" – until they were both sure they were sick of the little specks. They were one of the last groups to finish, racing to turn their completed assignments in and then speed walking out of the room, eager to rid themselves of the frighteningly sterile environment.

"See, I told you I would tune the microscope perfectly!" Natsu grinned proudly, locking his hands behind his head. "We didn't have to change it once to finish that assignment."

Lucy sighed, wearing a good-natured smile and shaking her head softly. "You're just lucky that we didn't have to do anything more complicated than describing a bunch of the 'floaties' that we saw. Otherwise there's no way we would have finished."

"Have some faith in my abilities, Luce!"

The two continued playfully bickering and teasing each other, yelling friendly insults and laughing as they continued down the street before parting ways. They had grown comfortable with each other, becoming close quicker than either of them had anticipated, and without even realizing it. The pair had become inseparable.

* * *

**Ok, so the ending isn't great. I'm not happy with it but after I started writing this I wasn't quite sure where to go with it so I think it just rambles and doesn't really do anything.**

**If you have any suggestions for how I can improve, I would love to hear them! I actually love feedback of any kind as long as it isn't unnecessarily mean.**


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